Life is so much better when we look and feel our best, don't you agree?

Friday, May 14, 2010

Giving up on capris...

I've given capris more fashion chances than they deserve. It's like a footstool that you keep stubbing your toe on and you never move it. When do you finally DO something about it?

So I'm moving capris (the footstool) out of my closet once and for all! Why are they so bad? Well, after telling women to wear them carefully...I've had enough of this hard to wear proportion in my own closet. SO OUT THEY GO!

Last week on my radio show a young woman asked if she can wear capris. The caller was 5'4" and an average hourglass shape. Instead of explaining how they can be hard to wear because they hit mid-calf and make it harder to balance your shape...I told this woman to go to the mall and sit. Watch women walk by in capris. Do ANY of these "capri wearing" women look good? Really...does anyone look good in them???

Capris have a way of sabotaging our wardrobes. They make it hard for you to look great. The proportion hits usually mid-calf which is bad if you are bottom heavy, have thick legs, are short, have a long torso....isn't this enough? Did I leave anyone out? How about the fact that they make your legs looks shorter, heavier--even if you are on the slender side?

I understand the "comfort" factor of capris. They cover a multitude of sins. Spider veins, white legs, cellulite and anything else we don't like about our lower extremities. They are cooler than long pants and cover more than the average short. However....THEY DON'T LOOK GOOD!

Why not wear a short or skirt? Capris have become such a "go to" summer staple that we forgot they are OTHER choices we could wear in the summer. Capris are in every store, every price point because they sell! But why not wear an attractive short? Or a pretty floral skirt? A short around the knee is much more attractive because it gives you more leg length! I'm sure you can handle showing 6" more of your skin! You'll look so much better for it.

I'm kicking my capris to the curb this season. (Actually I'm shortening most of them to shorts or purging them from my closet). How about you? Are you with me? Are you ready to give up on capris?

You convinced this 5'1" shorty to get rid of her capris last spring. Just the words, "They make you look shorter," did it for me. I purged my closet of all except my favorite white pair, which I cut off and hemmed to a knee-length short. I am loving the easy living of skirts and tanks in our already hot/humid Alabama weather. Thanks for the great advice Leslie, keep it coming!

Sorry, I disagree with the general statement that capris have to go. The ones I'm wearing right now are rather cute, modern jeans. The photos of capris you showed are frumpy and definitely are in the "do not wear" category. I'm 5'7" and have large calves from tennis and don't like shorts anymore. Capris at least cover up my bigger calves.

It's all about proportion. The capri has to hit the right spot on the leg, worn with low vamp heeled shoes in a nude or metallic, and the proper top in order to balance and look good. Many retail catalogues and online shops have a tough time making the models look good.

I'm 5'8" and bought a pair 2 seasons ago, hating them every time I tried to wear them. They were the wrong cut, cuffed, ugh... This year I bought the right cut and fit and I like them. Darn Reitmans and their "comfort" waistband that prevents me from loving them! But even so, it was tough to follow the "1 item 3 ways" rule due to the nature of the capri.

I like capris. I think that the ones you showed are awful. But, I am 25 and I don't wear anything that looks like that! I think younger people must look better in capri pants than older people, because my friends and the students at the high school I teach at don't look like a fashion faux pas.

I think that the "trick" is that capris need to *not* hit mid-calf. They need to hit slightly *above* the curve of the calf. And rather fitted ones usually look better than the baggy ones in your photos above. (Straight-cut pant legs just don't work as well for capris as they can with full-length pants.)

I agree the ones you posted tend to be all from the grandma section of the store. :) I stayed away from capris a lot last summer because I like bermudas better for the summer in muggy Houston, TX. This summer I've lost a few pounds and a dress size so I had to pick up a few things and chose a very cute pair of capris the other day. I wore them yesterday and was quite pleased with how they looked on me. I felt VERY cute!!

I have one pair of very fitted 'jeans' capris which I love but otherwise I stick to harem pants (*not* the really voluminous ones) and skirts/dresses. No shorts for me - these days things need to be comfy AND look stylish! LOL

I live in South Texas and we are so far behind the fashion curve, it's not even funny. So I just started wearing capris this year. But I'm 5'9" and moderatly proportioned even if on the heavy side. I have my capris hit just at the top of the curve of my calf and I wear the wider-opening vs. the skinny. I love them. They are so comfortably cool in this hot Texas weather. I wear dressy ones with heels to work and casual ones with flip flops. Comfy comfy.

I completely agree for the "frumpy" styles in the blog article. But here in the Midwest, it's nice to have something between shorts and pants on the cooler days - and a skirt is not always practical. I'm a 5'8", B body type - and I admit that most of the capri's I try on go right back on the store rack. Fitted styles seem to look best on me.

I am a shorty, C body type and I agree they do not look good on me...however, I have seen them look good on other body types, so I really think this is a 'know what looks good on you' thing and it seems unrealistic to say goodbye to them for all women when there those who can wear them and look fashionable.

I am not bottom heavy or short, my legs are not heavy and I don't have a long torso. Yippeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!! I get to keep my capris!

Nope, I am emphatically NOT perfect, but a 5'5" slightly top heavy A who could stand to lose a few pounds. Hate me if you will, but I am waiting for bobby socks to come back in, so I can emphasize my slender ankles.

I'm 5'9" and have long slender legs...I wear my "capris" just long enough to cover my knees...I do pilates 3 or more times a week so have a fairly long lean leggy look.At age 67 I prefer not to wear even longer shorts in public so will continue to wear what I already have. I agree anything that hits mid calf isn't attractive on anyone!

Well, the capris photos are horrid. And who wears sneakers with them? Sneakers or any other full show make any capri look bad, even cute ones.

There are much cuter capris out there. I wouldn't wear any of those but I would wear other cuts and lengths.

I have horrible knees. I only wear shorts when I'm doing something more athletic or outdoorsy when function is more important than appearance. When I want to look good, I wear a capri that stops anywhere from the bottom of the knee to mid-calf and they look very good on me. The leg must be cut slender but not tight. And the shoes must be sandals that are cut low, no ankle-straps for example, to lengthen the leg.

I agree with Leslie that I've never seen anyone who really looks "good" in capris - sure they're comfy - sure they're nice and "casual" - but they don't really say "look at how nice I look." Sometimes they *do* say, "I'm just enjoying a nice, casual afternoon," and "I'm comfortable with who I am" - neither of which are bad statements. I don't think everyone in the world really *wants* to feel "dressed up" 100% of the time. Maybe there are some, or even a lot of people who do - but there are also a lot who just want to feel "casual" sometimes, and capris are good for that.

All that said... I don't wear them *myself* 'cause I just really don't think they do anything for me at all, and I like my legs. But I understand the appeal.

Oh dear....I have one or two lurking around in my wardrobe! On the plus side, I hardly wear them because of the problems you outlined and rightly so because they just don't look cool. If I were 15 and super slim and tall, I may give it a shot but I am not! I guess I will get them shortened so I get some wear out of them.

as a SAHM to a toddler they serve as a break from jeans especially whern it gets warm.. I 'do' wear them with tennis shoes ..(Don't hang me).. sometimes and I do agree that length and fullness make a difference.Mine come just beloew the knee.. I am 5' 7''.and a c type.. Like someone stated above..I am not trying to be a fashion statement every MINUTE BUT I 'UNDERstand' what you mean about them not being the best choice.. I guess I am waiting for a betetr alternative..a lighterweight trouser perhaps? I would say skirts but they aren't great when sitting in the sandbox with your lil' one..

I find capris really flattering, but I'm weirdly proportioned, so I tend to agree with the general statement. I'm tallish, short-waisted, and extremely top heavy with long slender legs, so making my legs look a little shorter and stubbier actually normalizes my proportions somewhat. Even so, I like fairly fitted capris that land just under the knee, not baggier or longer ones.

But I'll wear anything that helps me not look like a tomato on stilts!

LOL Leslie! I think my capri's only look good with heeled espedrilles, sort of like the shorts photo. But I've been shopping lately and there is a serious shortage of dresses & skirts! WOW! It's like 10 to 1 for jeans over skirts! WOW!

It is sad there are not that many skirts or dresses to choose from. I'm wearing them almost exclusively because I like them more. They look great, are naturally more feminine and dressy, but are so easy to mix and match in my wardrobe!

The reason there are not as many skirts and dresses in the stores is because women buy pants and capris more....it's a supply and demand thing!